What now? Mamdani may face four candidates in November election

Reposted from THE CITY | By Samantha Maldonado and Katie Honan.

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani pulled off a stunning primary upset Tuesday night, besting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to become the Democratic candidate for mayor.

But the real race has yet to begin. 

Getting to City Hall means winning during the general election in November, when the electorate will expand significantly to include hundreds of thousands of voters not registered with a party and therefore excluded from primaries.

Often, in deep blue New York City, the winner of the Democratic primary easily takes the general election (five terms of Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg notwithstanding). But this year’s contest is shaping up to be a five-way race among Mamdani, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and at least three independent candidates, including Cuomo and current Mayor Eric Adams.

Just how broad Mamdani’s primary support was will emerge in a preliminary ranked-choice tally to be released by election officials on July 1. That count is expected to clinch his nomination as more votes for him roll in from voters who chose other candidates as their first choice, like comptroller Brad Lander or City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, but also ranked Mamdani higher than Cuomo. Certified results are expected in mid-July.

Then, Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, will appear on November’s ballot on the Democratic Party line as well as the line of the Working Families Party.

“The Working Families Party is ready to roll up our sleeves and support Zohran all the way to City Hall,” said New York WFP co-directors Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper in a statement Wednesday. 

Adams, who dropped out of the Democratic primary in April, will appear on the ballot on one of two ballot lines — either called “EndAntiSemitism” or “Safe&Affordable.” (Adams is reportedly considering fighting for the right to run on both.)

Adams is expected to formally launch his general election campaign Thursday with a speech on the steps of City Hall. 

“While some are running from their record, and others have no record, I am proud to run on my record,” Adams posted on social media Tuesday night. His former chief of staff and longtime ally Frank Carone, who is helping in the re-election effort, replied: “The record speaks for itself.” 

Members of the administration who spoke on the condition of anonymity told THE CITY that they hoped Adams would face Mamdani — and not Cuomo — in the general election.

Nevertheless, the current mayor is still blocked from accessing public matching funds for his campaign and has been saddled with historically low approval numbers. 

Cuomo also has an independent slot already staked out on the November ballot, with the “Fight and Deliver” party line. But before making a final decision to run in the general, he said he’d analyze the results of the primary.

“I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York,” Cuomo said in a statement Tuesday night. 

Another addition to the ballot will be Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and a mayoral candidate in 2021. Sliwa called Mamdani “too extreme for a city already on edge,” in a statement that echoed many of Mamdani’s own campaign promises.

Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor, will appear on the ballot as a registered independent. On Wednesday, he indicated he’d be the candidate to “save our city” and suggested he was “someone unblemished by scandal or extremism.”

‘The Top Has Been Blown Off’

Whether the Democratic establishment will coalesce around Mamdani or throw its weight behind a more moderate candidate is an open question, but Yvette Buckner, a political lobbyist and co-chair of the New Majority, said people like to get behind a winner.

Gov. Kathy Hochul held her cards close in a statement released after midnight.

“Zohran Mamdani built a formidable grassroots coalition, and I look forward to speaking with him in the days ahead about his ideas on how to ensure a safe, affordable, and livable New York City,” she said.

The chairs of the Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan Democratic parties all endorsed Cuomo ahead of the primary. But notably, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and a longtime ally of Adams, now says she will support Mamdani in the general.

“To everyone who had reservations, I ask you to put them aside in this moment and come together for the future of our city and our party,” she said in a statement early Wednesday morning. “Mamdani has shown he is committed to representing all Democrats from every neighborhood and borough… Brooklyn stands firmly behind Mamdani as we head into November.”

Buckner cautioned not to write off Adams in the primary, as he enjoys broad name recognition and the power of his platform as mayor, plus he is skilled at retail politics. 

“Adams is out there, he’s making his list and checking it twice,” she said. “I think those folks who are unhappy with Mamdani will then go to Eric. But being voted on the independent line is also a challenge.”

Some Republicans are gearing up to ensure Mamdani does not make it to Gracie Mansion.

Ed Cox, chair of the New York State Republican Committee, used extreme language when describing Mamdani’s primary victory, calling it “the most alarming signal yet of how far left and out of touch the Democratic Party has become.”

He added, “Mamdani must be defeated in November — and Republican Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who will fight for safe streets and economic opportunity for all New Yorkers.”

Mamdani has already weathered a barrage of attacks by his Democratic challengers and independent spending committees, which painted him as inexperienced, alleged he was antisemetic and criticized his policies as costly. 

Buckner said Mamdani should expect even more of that — plus other backlash to his victory — as the November election draws near. She pointed out that most of the negative ads didn’t begin until just weeks before voters went to the polls, as he began creeping up in polls, because Cuomo had such a commanding lead.

“This is the political earthquake that very few saw coming, unless you were on the ground and felt the rumbling,” Buckner said. “Now the top has been blown off. Now people are going to define him and they are going to define him from the right. They’ll try to stop the force of nature he’s become.”

Mamdani acknowledged the attacks in his acceptance speech Tuesday and gestured ahead to the next few months, as a new chapter in the race to become mayor.

“This has been a historically contentious race, one that has filled our airwaves with millions in smears and slander,” Mamdani said. “I hope, now that this primary has come to an end, I can introduce myself once more, not as you’ve seen me in a 30-second ad or in a mailer in your mailbox, but as how I will lead as your mayor.”

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn/Queens), speaking at Mamdani’s election party late Tuesday, warned of the colossal challenges that laid ahead, with billionaires readying their checkbooks in an effort to stop Mamdani.

“Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow we get back to work,” she said. “Together, we are going to elect Zohran as the next mayor of New York and change our city forever.”